Finally tonight as promised, a Special Comment on the passage, last week, of Proposition Eight in California, which rescinded the right of same-sex couples to marry, and tilted the balance on this issue, from coast to coast.

Some parameters, as preface. This isn't about yelling, and this isn't about politics, and this isn't really just about Prop-8. And I don't have a personal investment in this: I'm not gay, I had to strain to think of one member of even my very extended family who is, I have no personal stories of close friends or colleagues fighting the prejudice that still pervades their lives.

And yet to me this vote is horrible. Horrible. Because this isn't about yelling, and this isn't about politics.

This is about the... human heart, and if that sounds corny, so be it.

If you voted for this Proposition or support those who did or the sentiment they expressed, I have some questions, because, truly, I do not... understand. Why does this matter to you? What is it to you? In a time of impermanence and fly-by-night relationships, these people over here want the same chance at permanence and happiness that is your option. They don't want to deny you yours. They don't want to take anything away from you. They want what you want -- a chance to be a little less alone in the world.

Only now you are saying to them -- no. You can't have it on these terms. Maybe something similar. If they behave. If they don't cause too much trouble. You'll even give them all the same legal rights -- even as you're taking away the legal right, which they already had. A world around them, still anchored in love and marriage, and you are saying, no, you can't marry. What if somebody passed a law that said you couldn't marry?

I keep hearing this term "re-defining" marriage.

If this country hadn't re-defined marriage, black people still couldn't marry white people. Sixteen states had laws on the books which made that illegal... in 1967. 1967.

The parents of the President-Elect of the United States couldn't have married in nearly one third of the states of the country their son grew up to lead. But it's worse than that. If this country had not "re-defined" marriage, some black people still couldn't marry...black people. It is one of the most overlooked and cruelest parts of our sad story of slavery. Marriages were not legally recognized, if the people were slaves. Since slaves were property, they could not legally be husband and wife, or mother and child. Their marriage vows were different: not "Until Death, Do You Part," but "Until Death or Distance, Do You Part." Marriages among slaves were not legally recognized.

You know, just like marriages today in California are not legally recognized, if the people are... gay.

And uncountable in our history are the number of men and women, forced by society into marrying the opposite sex, in sham marriages, or marriages of convenience, or just marriages of not knowing -- centuries of men and women who have lived their lives in shame and unhappiness, and who have, through a lie to themselves or others, broken countless other lives, of spouses and children... All because we said a man couldn't marry another man, or a woman couldn't marry another woman. The sanctity of marriage. How many marriages like that have there been and how on earth do they increase the "sanctity" of marriage rather than render the term, meaningless?

What is this, to you? Nobody is asking you to embrace their expression of love. But don't you, as human beings, have to embrace... that love? The world is barren enough.

It is stacked against love, and against hope, and against those very few and precious emotions that enable us to go forward. Your marriage only stands a 50-50 chance of lasting, no matter how much you feel and how hard you work.

And here are people overjoyed at the prospect of just that chance, and that work, just for the hope of having that feeling. With so much hate in the world, with so much meaningless division, and people pitted against people for no good reason, this is what your religion tells you to do? With your experience of life and this world and all its sadnesses, this is what your conscience tells you to do?

With your knowledge that life, with endless vigor, seems to tilt the playing field on which we all live, in favor of unhappiness and hate... this is what your heart tells you to do? You want to sanctify marriage? You want to honor your God and the universal love you believe he represents? Then Spread happiness -- this tiny, symbolic, semantical grain of happiness -- share it with all those who seek it. Quote me anything from your religious leader or book of choice telling you to stand against this. And then tell me how you can believe both that statement and another statement, another one which reads only "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

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You are asked now, by your country, and perhaps by your creator, to stand on one side or another. You are asked now to stand, not on a question of politics, not on a question of religion, not on a question of gay or straight. You are asked now to stand, on a question of...love. All you need do is stand, and let the tiny ember of love meet its own fate. You don't have to help it, you don't have it applaud it, you don't have to fight for it. Just don't put it out. Just don't extinguish it. Because while it may at first look like that love is between two people you don't know and you don't understand and maybe you don't even want to know...It is, in fact, the ember of your love, for your fellow **person...

Just because this is the only world we have. And the other guy counts, too.

This is the second time in ten days I find myself concluding by turning to, of all things, the closing plea for mercy by Clarence Darrow in a murder trial.

But what he said, fits what is really at the heart of this:

"I was reading last night of the aspiration of the old Persian poet, Omar-Khayyam," he told the judge.

"It appealed to me as the highest that I can vision. I wish it was in my heart, and I wish it was in the hearts of all:

I don't take him seriously. His ratings are so low, I can't believe he is still on MSNB. He's been demoted already. I believe it is only a matter of time.

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Actually, his ratings are the highest on MSNBC and he beats O'Reilly in the key demographic of 18-54. Of course, if you just watch O'Reilly the whole time, you'll hear a different story.

The reason being is that GE's stock value is double what NewsCorp's is. NewsCorp's stock has plummeted recently and is now only worth about $8. I can't wait for the news that Murdoch has to announce layoffs. Start with Hannity and then make your way to O'Reilly.

Anyway, irregardless of the messenger, I found the message itself very true. You believe marriage is between a man and a woman. No problem. This is America and you have that right. But your beliefs should not impose on their beliefs. If they want to get married, let them. It's the stupidest thing in the world to ask everyone else's permission to let people get married. Holding a referrendum on "Should gay people be allowed to get married" was the most insulting thing they could do. Did they hold a referrendum on civil rights? On allowing black people to vote? On allowing black people to be free? No. Leaders actually lead and said "You cannot judge people. You must let them be free." Unfortunately, we don't have any leaders today.

He's just another homo loving shill for the sodomite agenda. Most likely a closet fag!!

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I know you say a lot of what you say just to get reactions out of people, but you do actually believe what you say, which is scary. Islam is a religion about peace and Islam believes that you cannot be at peace unless your neighbor is at peace. If your neighbor is not at peace because he does not have the same civil rights as you do, why are you at peace?

Actually, his ratings are the highest on MSNBC and he beats O'Reilly in the key demographic of 18-54. Of course, if you just watch O'Reilly the whole time, you'll hear a different story.

The reason being is that GE's stock value is double what NewsCorp's is. NewsCorp's stock has plummeted recently and is now only worth about $8. I can't wait for the news that Murdoch has to announce layoffs. Start with Hannity and then make your way to O'Reilly.

Anyway, irregardless of the messenger, I found the message itself very true. You believe marriage is between a man and a woman. No problem. This is America and you have that right. But your beliefs should not impose on their beliefs. If they want to get married, let them. It's the stupidest thing in the world to ask everyone else's permission to let people get married. Holding a referrendum on "Should gay people be allowed to get married" was the most insulting thing they could do. Did they hold a referrendum on civil rights? On allowing black people to vote? On allowing black people to be free? No. Leaders actually lead and said "You cannot judge people. You must let them be free." Unfortunately, we don't have any leaders today.

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If all gay people would move to Iran they would find peace everlasting. Immadinnajacket said so.

If all gay people would move to Iran they would find peace everlasting. Immadinnajacket said so.

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If all gay people weren't here... I've heard that before. If all black people weren't here... if all Jewish people weren't here... if all Catholic people weren't here... then this country wouldn't be America. This country would be a European settlement like it was 400 years ago. Earth to Willow - it's not 400 years ago anymore! It's the 21st century. Either get with the times or the times will pass you by.

I know you say a lot of what you say just to get reactions out of people, but you do actually believe what you say, which is scary. Islam is a religion about peace and Islam believes that you cannot be at peace unless your neighbor is at peace. If your neighbor is not at peace because he does not have the same civil rights as you do, why are you at peace?

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Both the Bible and Quran speak against homosexuality.

By allowing gay marriage our society is destroying it's morals and decending into cultural choas. In history rampant homosexuality was a sign of a society imploding and in the last functioning stages of civilation.

Yes Islam is a religion of Peace. And yes, you need to be at Peace with your neighbor.

But if your neighbor is a rapist, murderer, homosexual, child molester, or some other type of pervert. You are NOT required to accept them or their sick lifestyle as OK or normal.

Do you follow every single law in the Qu'ran to a T? Do you follow everything just perfectly so that an Imam would be proud of you? I bet you don't. I bet you're just as imperfect as everyone else is. Don't hide behind your holy book to excuse your bigotry.

By allowing two people who love each other to get married, society is somehow going to be in chaos? How does that work?

In history rampant homosexuality was a sign of a society imploding and in the last functioning stages of civilation.

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This is laughable - show me one society that collapsed because of homosexuality.

Yes Islam is a religion of Peace. And yes, you need to be at Peace with your neighbor. But if your neighbor is a rapist, murderer, *snip* child molester, or some other type of pervert. You are NOT required to accept them or their sick lifestyle as OK or normal.

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Everything you mentioned there is fine. But there are many child molesters who are straight, there are many rapists who are straight and there are many murders who are straight. The three things you mentioned have absolutely nothing to do with a man loving another man or a woman loving another woman. You are not a pervert if you are gay. You are not a child molester if you are gay and you are not a murderer if you are gay. Allowing Ellen Degeneres to get married isn't hurting society - in fact, I'll dare say the opposite. It's GOOD for society because it shows we're becoming more tolerant. Gay people who want to be married don't hurt us, they don't act against God, they don't commit violence - they're normal people who just want the same civil rights as you and I enjoy.

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